Mattress dumping bill has its origins in Oakland

OAKLAND - A bill that would tack a fee on the purchase of a new mattress in California is heading to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.

The bill passed by lawmakers last week is aimed at reducing mattress-dumping and has its origins in Oakland.

The Oakland Tribune reports that the city spends about $500,000 a year to collect more than 5,000 mattresses dumped on the streets. The surcharge, which is expected to range from $8 to $14 per mattress, would offset fees currently charged by solid waste facilities for disposing used mattresses. Those fees have led many haulers in the Oakland area to dump mattresses in poorer neighborhoods.

The Tribune says the surcharge on the roughly 4 million mattresses purchased annually in California would fund anti-dumping efforts.